Ocean-Themed Design Drowns Dental Fears

A dental office can look frightening through the eyes of a child. Through the eyes of some adults, too! But, what if the office looked more like a place kids plead to visit, like the seashore? The interior design of London Bridge Pediatric Dentistry is awash in oceana— from dolphins swimming amidst aquatic vegetation on the walls to crabs and seahorses drifting across the floor. The innovative custom interior design is the brainchild of Dr. Bukola Oduyelu, DDS, PC. His 5,000 square foot pediatric dental building in Virginia Beach reflects its locale as well as the doctor’s love of the sea. Linda Parrett, designer and owner of Linda Parrett Associates, Commercial interior Design & Space Planning, Virginia Beach, says, “Dr. Oduyelu depended on me to bring his vision to life. I scoured library books, oceanography web sites and toys for inspiration. I chose Armstrong ColorArt MEDINTONE Sheet for the flooring because the product had great color choices for my sea creatures and because it is flexible, which helped with the heat-welded seams on the sea creatures and for creating the flash-coved base.”

Dive Right In to a Welcoming Office

Dr. Oduyelu, or “Dr. O,” as he is known by his patients, is deeply committed to the total health and well-being of children and to preventative dentistry. He, along with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, recommend a child’s first dental examination be at 12 months of age. That’s the first of dozens of dental exams over the next few years. Some visits will be educational, instructing parents and children about brushing and flossing techniques and the importance of oral hygiene. Other visits may involve procedures ranging from teeth cleaning to extractions. A team of caring professionals is tuned-into working with tiny-to-teenage dental patients, helping every child feel at ease.

The space is also specially designed to be kid friendly. It looks much more like an aquarium than it does a dental office. Custom painted, brilliantly colored sea sponges, bubbles and marine life adorn the walls in the patient exam areas, treatment areas, surgery room and recovery areas. Gentle whitecaps and waves make for a delightful sea-to-sky transition along the tops of the walls, with tropical islands visible in the distance. Overhead, blue skies and cottony clouds beam down through translucent ceiling lighting panels. Large aquatic creatures drift underfoot on the ocean floor. It’s all very tranquil, colorful and sea-sational!

From Sand Light to Soft Green Mid

Armstrong ColorArt MEDINTONE Sheet had the right floor colors to create the designer’s inventive seascape. Dr. O’s treatment rooms use three colors of ColorArt MEDINTONE Sheet — grayed blue light, soft green light, sand light— to simulate water and a sandy bottom on the floor, plus six additional colors—gold dust mid, indigo mid, water blue, soft green mid, violet mist mid, and orange spice mid—to create starfish, seahorse, dolphin, turtle, octopus and crab creatures. Parrett says, “Having a design career spanning over three decades, I have used Armstrong products continually. They have great products and color choices. I have specified ColorArt MEDINTONE, ColorArt MEDINTECH and ColorArt MEDLEY Sheet on other projects, mostly surgical suites, so I know they are very durable and easy to care for. With so many colors to choose from, you can always find a good design ‘fit’.”

Dr. O’s behind-the-scenes spaces also have Armstrong flooring. PREMIUM Commercial Laminate wood planks in american maple color are installed in the staff lounge. The planks feature the rich depth of color and texture of hardwood in a durable, moisture-resistant plank. Armstrong Standard EXCELON Imperial Texture VCT desert beige tiles are installed in the electrical room, storage closet and mechanical room. These utility areas also use Armstrong wall base, and being consisten with the ocean color theme, its color is shoreline.

Smooth and Virtually Seamless Installation

It was fun for Linda Parrett to create this interior, but executing her floor ideas took precision cutting and installation expertise. One of the biggest challenges was getting the flooring contractor’s laser cutting equipment to accept her AutoCAD sketches of the sea creatures. Prestige Floors was up to the task. Linda says, “They did a terrific job. The sea creatures were laser cut but had to be hand cut into the field material, then heat welded. I tried to simplify the designs but they were still very difficult, particularly the crab and octopus. Prestige did samples to assure the client that the end product would be very professional, and the end result was a first class job.”

Sean Vermillion, Prestige president, further explains, “The project demanded that the medallions be hand cut and placed due to the large open space and intricate placement requirements. Crystal clear communication with the design team and building owner were required in order to understand and meet expectations.”

One of those expectations was flash coving the floor up the wall, and heat welding on all seams including the custom insets. Linda and Sean agree ColorArt MEDINTONE Sheet provided the perfect solution. Linda says, “The heat-welded seams on the sea creatures create a smooth, seam free-look floor that is easy to maintain.” Sean adds, “ColorArt MEDINTONE was an excellent choice due to its quality and workability for the flash coving and the insets.”

Trusted Source

The designer and installer had a high degree of confidence working with Armstrong products and people on this project. Linda says, “My distributor rep, Webb Lancaster, keeps my library up to date with new products and eliminating old. As I said before, I have a long history with Armstrong products and I know they are built to last.” Sean agrees, saying, “Armstrong has been a long term, dependable partner because of their excellent service, quality and technical support.”

Everyone who worked on this project is very happy with the end result, especially Dr. O. and his patients. Going to London Bridge Pediatric Dentistry may not be as much fun as actually going to the beach, but it does help make a visit with the dentist as much fun as possible.